Ducks don’t feel deflated after double-overtime loss to Blackhawks, 5-4
REPORTING FROM CHICAGO — Ryan Getzlaf’s words to his teammates were uttered not to console, but to urge the Ducks to quickly turn the page and determine their own ending to a developing classic.
“It’s about not getting too high or too low,” Getzlaf said, according to teammate Emerson Etem, following Saturday’s breathtaking 5-4 double-overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
That’s a hard sell in the minutes after the Ducks’ second marathon loss of a series that stands even at two games apiece, but as the Ducks move on with home-ice advantage still in their pocket, Getzlaf’s message could prove sound.
Game 5 is Monday at 6 p.m. at Honda Center.
Chicago center Antoine Vermette scored Saturday’s winning goal, following his own shot to beat Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen 5 minutes, 37 seconds into the second overtime at United Center.
“Puck came out in front, I tried to take up as much ice as possible, he got a good block and I struggled to see it, so … I tried to take away the bottom of the ice, but he was able to lift it,” Andersen said.
Vermette was a healthy scratch in Game 3 after playing in the Blackhawks’ triple-overtime Game 2 victory on Tuesday in Anaheim.
His winner came in the dramatic series’ 17th period of play, and outdid a head-spinning sequence of three Ducks goals in a 37-second span of the third period that remarkably turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead 9:19 into the period.
Chicago’s Brent Seabrook followed a goal by teammate Jonathan Toews earlier in the third that gave the home team what seemed to be a decisive advantage.
But 64 seconds later, Ducks center Ryan Kesler put in a rebound of a teammate’s shot off Chicago goalie Corey Crawford with 11:18 left.
And 23 seconds after that, Ducks forward Matt Beleskey knocked down a Chicago pass on the Blackhawks’ end. And with an opponent providing a screen of Crawford, Beleskey blasted in a shot over the goalie’s right shoulder.
Blackhawks Coach Joel Quenneville torched his team verbally during a following timeout, both arms raised during the tirade.
Just 14 seconds later, Ducks right wing Corey Perry positioned himself in front of Crawford and smacked in the go-ahead goal after a Getzlaf shot bounced off Crawford’s left pad.
The blitz was the second-fastest flurry of three goals in NHL playoff history. The 1979 Toronto Maple Leafs scored three in 23 seconds on April 12, 1979, vs. Atlanta.
“It was just momentum,” Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano said. “Sometimes the puck just goes in. I thought we were shooting more after we went down 3-1. We just decided to put pucks on net. That was our game plan, but we weren’t doing it in the first couple periods.”
The Blackhawks didn’t succumb, however, taking advantage of a Jakob Silfverberg holding penalty with 7:37 left in regulation, with Patrick Kane scoring the tying power-play goal 16 seconds later.
In the first overtime, the Ducks sent 10 unanswered shots on Crawford to start the period and finished with a 17-5 advantage.
The nearest goal, however, was a follow by Chicago’s Patrick Sharp that struck the bottom of the crossbar behind Andersen and bounced forward instead of inward, just out of reach of Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews.
The Ducks were lethargic until a late second-period power play seemed to spark their intensity. A bit later, Etem used his body to deflect in a Kyle Palmieri shot to make it 1-1 with 1:46 left in the second period.
Francis Beauchemin helped set up the goal, his 27th career postseason assist allowing him to pass Scott Niedermayer for the all-time franchise lead in playoff assists by a defenseman.
“If you think about how bad we played and that we still had a chance, it’s a good sign,” Andersen said. “We’ve got to get back to how we play and we’ll get on that on Monday.”
Follow Lance Pugmire on Twitter @latimespugmire
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